Dean attended and graduated from Sandpoint High School where he played football, basketball and baseball for Sandpoint High School under the legendary "Cotton" Barlow. He attended Columbia Basin College on an athletic scholarship for one year and transferred to North Idaho College where he was the leading scorer on the 1960 basketball team.
He continued his education at the University of Idaho and graduated with a B.S. degree in 1962 and secured his Masters from Utah State University in 1968.
Dean started his coaching career as head coach at White Swan, Washington where his team played for the State Championship in 1967. Dean came back to north Idaho where he took over the reigns of the Coeur d'Alene High School Basketball program. He coached at Coeur d'Alene for the next 16 years winning 19 or more games 8 times.
Dean took teams to the State Tournament 13 out of his 16 years and placed all 13 times. His 1973 team went 21-4 and captured the State Championship which came on the heels of a 2nd place finish the year before. At one time his Viking teams won 36 straight home games and during a two year stretch in 1978 & 1979 compiled a 49-4 record, with the 1979 team going undefeated in the regular season. All together his teams played for the State Championship five times. During his
coaching tenor he coached 24 All State players and 9 All Americans. He finished his career with 344 wins and 150 losses.
Dean was picked as coach of the year by the Idaho Sports Banquet several times and was chosen as one of the top ten coaches ever in north Idaho by the Coeur d'Alene Press. Dean retired from teaching in 1996.